There’s a Reason Spatchcock Turkey Is So Popular…
It cooks faster and more evenly! “Spatchcock” is just a fancy way to say split open and flatten the turkey, by removing the backbone, before cooking it. When cooked flat, the turkey will cook more evenly, ensuring the skin gets evenly crisp, and will cook much faster than a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey.I recommend using a smaller turkey for this method (10-12 pounds) so that it fits on a large baking sheet and allow for faster cook time (just 70-90 minutes). It’s also essential that you have sharp kitchen shears to remove the backbone–or try asking your butcher to remove it for you.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
Prep Turkey: Remove turkey from packaging. Remove neck and giblets from the inside cavity, if applicable. Pat the turkey dry all over with paper towels. Let the turkey stand at room temperature for 45 minutes (this allows the turkey to cook more evenly).Remove Backbone: Place the turkey breast-side down on a clean workspace with the legs facing towards you. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut along one side of the backbone. Repeat on the other side of the backbone until you can remove it completely (discard, or save for homemade gravy).
Press Flat: Flip the turkey breast-side up then firmly press down with the palms of your hands to flatten the breast bone of the turkey. You will hear a crack. Pull the thigh/legs outwards to help it lay flat. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place turkey on a large rimmed baking sheet (with a rack set over it, if you have one), breast-side up then tuck the wing tips under the breast.
Make Ahead Instructions
To Make Ahead: Prep the turkey, removing the backbone and flattening it, and season with salt, the night before. Leave it uncovered, for extra crispy skin, or cover with plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge. This is called a “dry brine” which is great for a really flavorful, juicy turkey!Recipe Variations
- Oven Rack: I like to place the turkey on a rack, so that I can easily remove if from the pan and use the pan juices to make gravy. You could also place the turkey directly on a bed of chopped vegetables (i.e. celery and carrots) to add flavor to the drippings for homemade gravy.
- Brine: I don’t brine the turkey if using a frozen butterball or Jenni-O turkey (these are already injected with brine). If you want to dry brine it, it will add more flavor and yield a crispier skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Use 1 tablespoon salt per 5 pounds of turkey and rub salt all over the outside and under the skin. Refrigerate uncovered or drape with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12-24 hours. Proceed with seasoning the turkey as instructed, but if dry brined, reduce the amount of salt added in the seasoning.
- Spatchcock Turkey on the Grill: Scrape the grates then wipe them down to clean them well. Turn on half of the burners if using a gas grill. If using a charcoal grill, light the coals and move them to one side. Cover grill and heat to 350 degrees F. Carefully place spatchcocked turkey on the indirect heat side of the grill, breast side up and close lid. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour then check temperature. Cook until 165 degrees F (or just under) and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
- Smoked Spatchcock Turkey: Preheat smoker to 240 degrees F and use the water pan if your smoker has one. Add smoking wood. Carefully lay spatchcock turkey meat side up and let it cook for about 4 hours. Monitor the temperature and cook until it reaches 165 degrees F or just under then let it rest.
Serve With
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Broccoli Casserole
- French Green Beans
- Potatoes Au Gratin
- Corn Casserole
- Roasted Vegetables
- Artisan No Knead Bread
Spatchcock Turkey
Serves 8- 1 (10-12 pounds) Turkey, whole, thawed
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs, (rosemary, thyme, and sage)
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Remove turkey backbone: Place the turkey breast-side down on a clean workspace with the legs facing towards you. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut along one side of the backbone. Repeat on the other side of the backbone until you can remove it completely (discard, or save for homemade gravy).
Press flat: Flip the turkey breast-side up and firmly press down with the palms of your hands to flatten the breast bone of the turkey. Pull the thigh/legs outwards to help it lay flat. Tuck the wing tips under the breast.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place turkey on a large rimmed baking sheet with a rack set over it, breast-side up.
Season: Mix dry spices together. Pat turkey dry again with paper towels. Loosen the skin away from the breasts and spread olive oil on top of the breast meat, and a pinch of the spice rub. Spread olive oil all over the outsides of the bird and sprinkle generously with spice rub.
Cook: Roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour 45 minutes, rotating once during cooking, until it registers 165 degrees F tested in a multiple places with a meat thermometer (I remove it when it reaches 160 degrees and let it come to 165 degrees while it rests). First temperature check temp should be around 1 hour. Generally, the larger the turkey, the longer it will take to cook. If the skin is browning too much before the meat is close to temperature, place a piece of aluminum foil over it.
Notes
Olive Oil: Because we cook the turkey at a higher heat than a traditional Thanksgiving turkey, we use olive oil, instead of butter, since it has a higher smoke point.Make Ahead Instructions: Prep the turkey, removing the backbone and flattening it, and season with salt, the night before. Leave it uncovered, for extra crispy skin, or cover with plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge. This is called a “dry brine” which is great for a really flavorful, juicy turkey!
Oven Rack: I like to place the turkey on a rack, so that I can easily remove if from the pan and use the pan juices to make gravy. You could also place the turkey directly on a bed of chopped vegetables (i.e. celery and carrots) to add flavor to the drippings for homemade gravy.
Brine: I don’t brine the turkey if using a frozen butterball or Jenni-O turkey (these are already injected with brine). If you want to dry brine it, it will add more flavor and yield a crispier skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Use 1 tablespoon salt per 5 pounds of turkey and rub salt all over the outside and under the skin. Refrigerate uncovered or drape with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12-24 hours. Proceed with seasoning the turkey as instructed, but if dry brined, reduce the amount of salt added in the seasoning.
Spatchcock Turkey on the Grill: Scrape the grates then wipe them down to clean them well. Turn on half of the burners if using a gas grill. If using a charcoal grill, light the coals and move them to one side. Cover grill and heat to 350 degrees F. Carefully place spatchcocked turkey on the indirect heat side of the grill, breast side up and close lid. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour then check temperature. Cook until 165 degrees F (or just under) and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
